Search
Our archives

Major Funders:
Foundation for Community Vitality
Greater Montana Foundation
Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation
Idaho Public TV
Focust West
Ear Mountain, Rocky Mountain Front
Photo courtesy of Rick and Susie Graetz
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
produced daily by Shellie Nelson
Page 2
More news from the Rockies
Community
 Most Montana counties qualify for opening CRP lands to haying, grazing
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture added another 27 counties to the list where drought conditions are such that acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program could be opened up to haying and grazing, leaving just eight of Montana's 54 counties where CRP lands are not open to ranchers.
Billings Gazette; July 24

Wild storm sends trees crashing down in N. Idaho, E. Washington
The storm that moved through eastern Washington and northern Idaho Friday packed hurricane-strength winds that blew down hundreds of trees and took down hundreds of miles of power lines.
Spokane Spokesman-Review; July 24

Shell Oil to resubmit oil drilling permit in Colorado county
Nearly a year ago, the Routt County Board of Commissioners tabled the request of Shell Oil to drill an oil well on state lands near the Yampa Valley Regional Airport, but now the company has applied again for such a permit.
SteamboatToday.com; July 24

Environment
 Wildlife agents capture, move female grizzly in W. Wyoming
A young, female grizzly bear was captured by Wyoming Game and Fish Department employees in the Sunlight Basin northwest of Cody and moved to an area about 40 miles north of Jackson.
Casper Star-Tribune (AP); July 24

Crews have 500-acre wildfire SW Colorado 5 percent contained
A wildfire sparked by lightning on Sunday in southwestern Colorado near Durango is reported to be at nearly 500 acres in size and crews have the fire 5 percent contained.
Durango Herald; July 24

Dozens of lightning strikes in Montana national forest ignite 7 fires
Five of the seven of the lightning-sparked wildfires ignited by a storm that moved through northwest Montana late Sunday night are burning in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the largest of which is the Snow Peak Fire that is currently 8 acres in size.
Flathead Beacon; July 24

Wind drives Montana wildfire over another 1,000 acres
The lightning-sparked Mission Road Fire burning in Montana near Wolf Creek grew from 250 acres on Sunday to more than 1,200 acres Monday.
Helena Independent Record; July 24

Fully contained Utah wildfire still smoking
Crews have the OMG Fire near St. George fully contained, but the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands continues to monitor the Quail Fire near Alpine as areas within the fire's perimeter are still burning.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 24

Idaho establishes tip line for people to report feral pigs
Feral pigs are a problem in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and the states have now established a tip line for people to call in and squeal on the four-footed marauders.
Idaho Statesman; July 24

Politics
 Montana lawsuit seeks to pull corporate personhood measure off ballot
State Sen. Dave Lewis, Billings businessman Phil Lilleberg and Montanans Opposed to I-166 have filed a petition in the Montana Supreme Court asking that Ballot Initiative 166, which directs the state's federal congressional delegation support a federal constitutional amendment to declare that corporations are not people and that money isn't political speech, be removed from the November ballot.
Helena Independent Record; July 24

Aide to Colorado senator takes job with Western Energy Alliance
Ursula K. Rick, who most recently worked as a congressional fellow for Colorado U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, will serve as regulatory affairs analyst for the Western Energy Alliance, which represents nearly 400 oil and gas companies.
Salt Lake Tribune; July 24

Legislature
 Montana legislators urge reopening of rail line through Butte for coal transport
In letters to representatives of Montana Rail Link and Burlington Northern Santa Fe, members of the Montana Legislature's Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee urged that an inactive rail line that passes over Homestake Pass and through Butte be pressed into service to accommodate a future increase of train traffic driven by the plan to export coal from Montana and Wyoming to Asian markets from West Coast ports.
Helena Independent Record; July 24

Wyoming lawmakers say education funding, students' progress don't add up
Legislators and researchers are questioning why, with more funding being poured into education in Wyoming, students' progress in reading and math has not improved.
Casper Star-Tribune; July 24

Economy
 New angel fund has the cash to invest in Idaho businesses
The new Treasure Valley Angel Fund has gathered $750,000 of its planned $2 million in investment cash, and now the Idaho fund is looking for companies that could use the cash.
Idaho Statesman; July 24
Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West
at The University of Montana.
"G as drilling is more than a little off. It just doesn't exist."

Dave Galt, executive director of the Montana Petroleum Association, discussing the dearth of natural gas drilling in Montana, at a time when oil permits are on pace to set a new record.
- Flathead Beacon (AP)
On The Bookshelf
Barbara Theroux gives readers a preview of books to be released this fall

6/12/2013
Mountain West Voices
Hear weekly stories from the Rocky Mountain West as gathered by Clay Scott

6/12/2013:  An Afternoon Cigar
5/29/2013:  Like A Small Family
5/22/2013:  This Little Journey
5/15/2013:  A Long Way
5/8/2013:  Making Roots

Mountain West News is a program of the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West



at the

The University of Montana